Fossilised egg - 32 cm - 22 cm

Prepared egg of Aepyornis maximus with small feeding hole, No. XIV Weight: 1700 g, Circumference across (measured along the midline) : 70 cm, Circumference vertically (along the midline) : Length 86 cm, Height 32 cm, Width / maximum diameter at the thickest point 22 cm

Vorompatras were the only giant flightless birds still observed, hunted and exterminated by humans. The endemic, Madagascar-only “elephant bird” is said to have lived from the Pleistocene until the 17th century. Until its extinction it even served as a food source for the locals and passing ships. The legends of the Malagasy (ethnic groups Mahafaly, Atandroy and Antanosy) claim that in “ancient times” even the settlements of the indigenous people were built near nesting sites of the flightless bird, as these were excellent sources of food. These sites were still considered sacred and treated as secret knowledge even after the birds were extinct. To this day eggs remain in family possession, treated as heirlooms and “curious treasures,” but are sold only in absolute exceptional cases.

In science, first described in 1870 by the French researcher Granddidier with “Aepyornis maximus” or earlier also Aepyornis titan (the largest of 4 species of the genus Aepyornis), it was similar to today’s African ostriches. A giant flightless bird, its height over 3 m, with a weight of about 500 kg. The eggs are larger than all previously found dinosaur eggs. As these were the largest eggs in the world, biologically they are also the largest known cells in the world. The Aepyornis was the model for the bird “Rock” in the tales from One Thousand and One Nights, which recount Sindbad the Sailor’s adventures. In Arabic tales, the “elephant bird” is often mentioned, said to be so strong that it could seize an elephant and fly away with it. The “elephant birds” lived roughly contemporaneously with the well-known New Zealand giant flightless birds, the Moa, which went extinct only in the 19th century. Like the extinct Moas, the still-living Australian emus and South American rheas, the elephant bird had three toes. The Aepyornis was not related to the New Zealand Moas. The content of the egg was 8 to 9 liters, six times more than that of the African ostrich, 150 times more than that of a chicken egg.

Untreated, unbroken eggs, without additions, belong to postfossil rarities and are extremely rare. These specimens have sold for well over €100,000.00. It is somewhat more common for the indigenous people to obtain complete clutches of hatched chicks. The associated broken eggshells are also kept as treasures and sometimes reassembled. The egg offered here was artistically assembled by an experienced preparator in Madagascar from the original shells of a clutch. As is common in museum technique, this restores the original state of the object. The remaining joints were sealed with crushed shells and calcium carbonate binders. The resulting collectible displays the original splendor of the natural fossil and enables acquisition at a much more affordable price than an unprepared egg. In any case, it is a one-of-a-kind in any collection and a witness to fossil history. This egg comes from a family collection from the 1970s to the 1990s. Today, export from Madagascar is prohibited.
Delivery includes a foldable rosewood stand or a plexiglass ring (please indicate preference), certificate and a specialist brochure by Ernst Probst on all findings about the elephant birds.
I am happy to provide, upon serious interest, all available provenance documents of the object as copies.
Delivery and viewing by arrangement.
Source of photos: By Monnier -source, Monnier digimorph org, Wikimedia, private collection